Police and conservationists in Scotland are investigating the poisoning of a golden eagle, one of Britain's rarest birds, The Guardian reported.
The bird, discovered between Banchory and Braemar in Aberdeenshire, was found to have the banned pesticide carbofuran in its system, the newspaper said. Tests by the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency in Edinburgh confirmed the presence of poison. Grampian police said they are treating the latest find "very seriously."
Only 430 breeding pairs of golden eagles are know to be in Scotland, 18 of which are believed to be in the Grampian area, the newspaper said.
According to police, at least 14 golden eagles have been poisoned in the past 10 years.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
